The Wheels of Fate
by Cherry tiger
Summary: SPOILERS AFTER CHAPTER 118 OF THE MANGA! The wheels of fate are turning... could one encounter change the course of it? Summary with spoiler inside... COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Before I start, a big reminder that this story is **a spoiler to whoever has not read the latest chapters of the manga! Especially after chapter 118!**

Ok?

This story is about the Real Syaoran, whom in the manga had just woken up and has now made an appearance in the latest chapters, and his story before he was captured by Fei Wong Reed.

Now, this is pure fiction and something that I came up with recently so this is not canon and it may be totally different with the original story. But I thought that I'd give Real Syaoran a past for us to actually enjoy and at least, make sense to how he became the way he is now and what prompted such decisions. (Plus, a break from all the KuroFye fics? Lol! No offence, KuroFye fans!)

This shall be my first multi-chapter fic for Tsubasa… Let's see how it turns out, shall we?

* * *

_Your destiny had already been set the moment you were formed in the womb…_

Syaoran swung his sword to the side, and then poised himself in a form of an attack.

_You shall be the one to set the wheels of fate turning… yet at the same time, you will not be a part of it…_

He concentrated hard on his opponent before him. "Whenever you're ready," said his opponent.

_You shall be the one involved in the power that transcends worlds and time…_

Syaoran raised his sword and cried out, "Raitei Shorai!"

…_Yet you may lose a lot more than you can ever imagine, my little Syaoran._

-0-0-0-

Syaoran was used to being left out in everything. He never went to school like all the other kids… he had to stay at home and study something not even his favourite subject, Math, could ever prepare for him in the future.

He had no time to play games with the other children… he had to practice something more than whatever child's game he could ever think of for he believed that it will not prepare him for the future.

There was no time to have his own life, even though he was only 8… He had to prepare.

Prepare a future he was destined to follow.

"_You know what you were born to do. You were born to keep the wheels of fate turning. You will help someone you do not wish to help in order to keep his wish, his desire… to come true."_

He knew this. He knew this very well… and he obediently accepted it.

"_You can only watch as the wheels continue to turn faster and faster… and by the time you can do anything, it may be too late."_

He knew this. He knew that the future that lies before him was a hard one… and he accepted it.

"_You will lose your time, freedom…" _

All these he knew…

"…_And your relationship."_

Relationship… This was something Syaoran could not understand. He had asked his mother so many times about it… He had asked his mentor, too… But none of them gave an answer satisfying enough for him to understand.

"_You will understand once you become a part of it."_

Losing time, losing freedom… He had prepared his heart for it. But how can he prepare himself for relationship if he doesn't understand what it is?

_Maybe it's better if I never become a part of any relationship…_

So he isolated himself… His mother was just a woman who took care of him. His mentor was just someone who taught him.

No one shall come close to him. This was his way of preparing…

So he carried on, holding on to that belief that this was the only way to lessen the pain of losing his relationship.

-0-0-0-

His mentor had asked him to go out and meditate. This was something new for Syaoran… he rarely went out of the house alone. Was this some kind of trick? His mentor knew that Syaoran had one selfish desire… which was to explore the outside world. And for his mentor to even allow him to go out on his own without anyone watching over him was like telling Syaoran to succumb to this desire, even though he was supposed to meditate to keep his thoughts in order (as part of his training).

Or was this a way to make him stronger?

Regardless… he was curious about the outside world. So he left the moment his mentor had said that and began to explore his new surroundings. His house was close to a nearby playground. He would watch by the window near the training room… his eyes cold and distant as he did so. He had no time for games… he had something more serious to look out for.

Yet… a small part of him wanted to be there, closer…

And that small part of him was now moving his legs to go closer and closer towards that playground.

Once he realized that he was close, he decided to hide himself and just watch… There was no way he was going to play. He had no time for games… he must meditate. But the sights of the children swinging, laughing, talking and playing, made his feet rooted to the ground and just watch…

What are these feelings growing in me?

"Hey, you!"

Syaoran turned to see two boys about two years older looking at him.

"What are you doing there?" one of the boys said, arms crossed and taking a few steps closer towards him. "Staring out in space like that? Don't you have anything else better to do?"

Syaoran saw this boy as a threat. There was no reason to trust him and he looked intimidating… _Don't come near me, I'm warning you._

"What's that look on your face? Who do you think you are?" said the other boy, clearly irritated. He began to move forward towards Syaoran, his hand ready to grab Syaoran's arm…

Syaoran quickly moved into his attack form and…

"Hey! What are you guys doing?" cried a young girl's voice.

Instantly the boy and Syaoran froze to see a young girl with honey brown hair and emerald green eyes run towards them. "Ah! You're bullying another kid!"

"No, we're not! Don't you have anything better to do other than get involved in _men's stuff_, little girl?" said the boy, glaring at her.

"I'm not a little girl and I know what you're doing is wrong! Now go away and leave that boy alone or else I'll call a grown up and then you'll get punished!"

"All right, all right…" said the other boy. "Sheesh… come on, we've got better stuff to do than to entertain these babies." And with that, the two boys left.

Syaoran was amazed. This was the first time ever that he had seen someone fight back without even fighting in combat… what's more, a girl!

The girl then came up to him. "Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

Syaoran instinctively took a few steps back. "Uh… No… I'm fine…" And this was the first time he had spoken to anyone outside of his house.

"Are you sure? Your face looks red… Are you sick? Do you need to see a doctor?" She came closer to him, clearly not seeing that Syaoran wanted to be a few steps away from her. He could see her worried face… the frown etched on her eyebrows… the care in her eyes…

Syaoran quickly shook his head. "No! I'm fine! I-I… I…" Syaoran could not understand himself. His face felt hot, his heart was racing madly as if he was in the middle of a fight, and he had a strong desire to run away.

"Really?" The girl then reached out and held her palm against his forehead and the other against hers. "You're quite warm…"

That did it. Syaoran then turned and ran. "Wait!" he heard her cry, but he did not listen. He just wanted to go home… these feelings… were all so new to him. He did not understand them, did not know them. He did not know what to do with them…

Who was that girl?

"_Someday you will learn the true meaning of love… and from there, you may be able to change the fate of someone else." _

* * *

Ok, so the first chapter isn't really that interesting. I promise that the next chapter will be… I wanted this chapter to be more of an introduction so that's why I kept it more to an introductory stage. 

Now, a bit of explanation…

In my opinion, Real Syaoran comes from another world and was chosen to be a part of Fei Wong Reed's plans to help gather all of Clow Sakura's feathers. This might be wrong, but I'm basing my fic on these thoughts. There is another Sakura in his world and she plays a vital role in his past... How? You'll find out soon...

Comments and Criticism are most welcome to help improve this fic. Thank you and we'll meet in the next chapter (which will come out soon, I promise).


	2. Chapter 2

I'm sorry for not posting this up sooner. I got caught up with my new term in college.

Before we start, I guess I owe you a big explanation about my theory of Real Syaoran (and yes, I'm aware it could be wrong but bear with me):

Real Syaoran was from a dimension with another Sakura in it. Now as for why wasn't Fei Wong Reed after this Sakura, was Fei Wong Reed after CCS Sakura? My guess is that Fei Wong Reed is only interested in Clow Sakura, from that particular dimension, because SHE was the one who especially has the power to travel through worlds and dimensions. No other Sakura's in any other world has that power, even though they're special (for example, CCS Sakura).

I like to believe in this theory as well, that Real Syaoran was meant to create Clone Syaoran especially for the Clow world. Meaning that they're two separate people… and that Real Syaoran was only meant to just be a part of this creation not IS the creation. (Yes, I'm a strong believer that Clone Syaoran is meant to be with Clow Sakura. --)

As for Real Syaoran was meant to be in the Clow dimension, and most probably meant for Clow Sakura (through his clone), I'm taking that theory aside and writing this story to give you another theory, another feel that maybe there was something to Real Syaoran's past that helped him make his decisions and such. I am not pushing that theory away, it is possible. But I have another theory and I'm making a story out of it. If you don't agree with what I write… well… I'm not forcing you to read am I?

Anyway, thank you so much for your lovely reviews! It definitely helps! (My darling Kaori-chan, as usual, will always poke me on my English but I love her for it and wish I could get her to proofread this but she's busy so it looks like you'll have to bear with my grammar mistakes for some time…)

Now, on to the story.

-0-0-0-

The residents in Syaoran's house noted this new change in him. He was rather jumpy and was always dazed, as though he was always stuck in his thoughts. His mentor had scolded him so many times and even punished him, but that did not stop the little boy from drifting away to his inner mind.

This made the mentor curious. So he spoke to Syaoran's mother, who understood very well the moment Syaoran had returned from his "meditation" that day.

Syaoran's latest habit was to stay in the training room and sit by the window side, watching the playground, his eyes still cold and distant. But they keep searching… searching to find a familiar face…

"_You say you don't understand your feelings? Well… even if I were to explain to you, I don't think you'll truly understand. But here's a piece of advice… the next time your heart asks you to do something, no matter what is going on, follow your heart… and maybe then you'll understand what your heart is saying."_

Syaoran was doubtful. He could not understand why his mother would not explain what he's feeling. Did she really expect him to do whatever his heart tells him to do? This wasn't what he was trained to do… He was trained to be strong, to follow his instincts on how to attack, to not get his emotions involved during a fight…

That was when he realized that all he ever learned was to fight…

And his eyes became more distant. _I have to be strong, to be able to fight… because the future that lies before me is a road paved with loss._

He laid a hand against the glass window. He stared at the playground and felt that deep rush of emotions fill him again, waiting to burst. But Syaoran will never let them out, or let them even be known. He did not know how…

Suddenly, he saw her screaming and running around the playground. Someone was chasing her and she, together with the other children, was running around hysterically. This made Syaoran panic… _Something's wrong! She might be in trouble!_

He looked around the empty training room and wondered what to do. His instincts were scolding him for not doing any training at all… but his heart was telling him to go to the playground.

Go to the playground and save her.

The next thing Syaoran knew, he was running towards the exit of his house. The guards were curious to see Syaoran all flustered, and thought of stopping the boy. They received no permission to let him out and so they prepared to stop him…

But to their surprise, as Syaoran drew closer towards the guards, he did a flip, landed on one of the guard's head, jumped and landed on the other side of the gate.

The guards were amazed. They had never seen Syaoran do such a thing and just as they thought of chasing after him, the Lady of the house appeared behind them, smiling and telling them to let him be.

"_His heart is truly strong."_

Syaoran kept running towards the playground, just in time to see the little girl fall and the one who was chasing her about to grab her. Syaoran wasted no time… he sprinted towards the both of them and pushed the boy who was chasing her away. He then did his fight stance and was ready to fight until…

"You're it!" she cried.

And soon everyone was back to their hysterical selves and running all over the place… away from Syaoran. This made him very confused. Wasn't he saving them? And what did she mean he was it?

"Well, come on then!" she cried, looking at Syaoran. "You have to catch one of us because you're it!"

"Why?" asked Syaoran.

"Because it's fun!" was her reply as she smiled brightly. "Hurry, everyone's getting away!" And with that, she ran as well.

_Wait… this is… a game?_ Syaoran thought, his face getting hot. _She wasn't in danger at all! They were just playing… _He was so embarrassed that he suddenly felt like running back home again.

"Hurry!" he heard her cry. "Come on! Don't just stand there! Come and catch us!"

Syaoran knew that the last thing he wanted to do was to play… He promised himself he would never get involved in such a thing. _This will not help me for my future! There's no time for games!_

But his heart was saying other things. He did want to play… He did want to have fun… Just for this moment… Just for today…

Following his heart had always seemed so wrong. But today, at that moment… he probably thought that maybe following his mother's advice might not be such a bad idea after all…

So he ran and chased the little girl, who squealed and ran as fast as she could, but tripped and so Syaoran managed to catch up with her and helped her up. "Oh no! I'm it now!" she said. "I'm always bad at catching people, but I'll try! You better run!"

Syaoran nodded and ran, and he couldn't help but smile as he watched the little girl's attempts on trying to catch people. She was undeniably clumsy, but that did not stop her from getting up and trying over and over again until another girl wasn't looking and she, too, fell and was then deemed 'it' by her.

This lasted for several hours and soon the number of children who were playing began to lessen. They then called it a day. The girl then looked at Syaoran, "Hi! I never really got your name! My name's Sakura! What's yours?" she asked, holding out her hand.

Syaoran did not take it. He looked away and mumbled softly. "Syaoran…"

"Eh? Syaoran? All right, I'll call you Syaoran then and you can call me Sakura! Wanna play on the swings, Syaoran? I feel like playing with you some more." Sakura gave him her brightest smile.

"But… shouldn't you be going back? Everyone else has…"

Sakura shook her head. "It's all right! There's no one at home right now… and I really want to get to know Syaoran more." She then took Syaoran's hand. "Please… just for a while…"

Syaoran's instincts were screaming a big resounding 'No'. It was bad enough to miss training and play… but to waste some more time talking to someone and allow that person to get closer? This was too far.

"I'm sorry… but I have to go."

Syaoran turned and prepared to go, but Sakura gently grabbed Syaoran's arm and said, "I'll see you soon… right?" with a tint of sadness in her voice.

Syaoran's heart was filled with emotions again. But his eyes became cold and distant. He did not reply her… he shrugged Sakura's hand away and left the playground. He could feel her eyes staring at her back, but he did not turn.

He dare not turn.

-0-0-0-

Syaoran was quiet throughout the rest of the day. No one had questioned him about his sudden outburst to get out of the house and also what had he been doing the whole time. Syaoran suspected it was his mother who told them to do so…

Still feeling guilty for not training the whole day, he decided to go back into the training room and continue practicing his sword techniques. Night had already fallen, it was dark. He decided to practice lighting the candles around the training room by using his magic.

"Kashin Shorai!" he cried, raising his sword. A stream of fire burst from his sword and moved its way around the candles, lighting them in the process.

To his surprise, there was a candle that was by the window sill. The same window he looks out every time to watch the children play…

Just like how he played that day.

Curious, he moved towards that candle and prepared to move it away into a proper candle holder. But something caught his eye at the playground…

Sakura was still there, sitting by the swings, all by herself.

_Why is she still there?_ He thought. _It's late… didn't she say she had a home to go to?_

More questions popped into his head. _Will she be ok? Isn't it dangerous? Is something wrong?_

_Is she waiting for me?_

Syaoran shook his head, trying to get that last question out of his head. He then reasoned himself that maybe the one who was meant to pick Sakura up was late and that his training is more important.

He then continued to practice his sword techniques but he couldn't concentrate. No matter how much he tried, the image of Sakura sitting still on the swings kept creeping into his mind. Now not only his heart was saying something's wrong… his instincts did as well.

For one last time, Syaoran went to the window to check on Sakura.

And to his horror, Sakura was surrounded by strange men, fully clothed in black, with three long blades on their hands. And they looked like they were about to attack.

And for the second time that day, Syaoran ran out of his house towards the playground.

Upon seeing the playground with those strange men still there, he let out a cry to get their attention. As though they were waiting for him to appear, the men attacked Syaoran.

Armed with only his sword, he began to fight as much as he can. His magic may be strong, but he had a hard time defeating the strange men who seem to be more than what he had counted. He could hear Sakura crying out to him to run away… but Syaoran would never run away. He was taught not to…

He had been cut and slashed at by many of these strange men… all he knew was that they had a strange symbol on their chests. He used as many spells as he could, and then he'd start hacking and slashing at them until they disappeared without leaving any trace at all. Finally, he hacked away at what seems to be the last one.

He stood there, panting and gasping… blood trickling from his temple. Sakura stared at him and asked, "Why didn't you run?"

"I should be asking you that." His legs then gave way and he collapsed.

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried. She then bent over him, a handkerchief in hand and started wiping the blood. She then used it to wrap some of his wounds, and even tore the dress she wore.

As she did so, she spoke. "I couldn't run… not even if I wanted to."

Syaoran looked at her with weary eyes. "Are you afraid of me now?"

She shook her head. "Never. I've always known you were special, Syaoran."

"I wouldn't call it special…" he said, thinking about the future that lay before him.

"No, Syaoran. You're special… I know, and I can feel it." She smiled. "Thank you… for saving me. I know you have a lot of questions to ask but I think you better rest right now."

Despite how much he did not want to rest and wondering what would happen to him after that, Syaoran closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

-0-0-0-

I am aware that my story is rather simply written. But that was how I initially wanted it. If things go as plan, this story would be 4-5 chapters long. Yes, it is that short. I didn't expect to write so much on this story anyway.

In case you're wondering, yes, I am making this Sakura a little more than she really is and unless I described them pretty badly, the ones who attacked Sakura and Syaoran are the ones you saw in chapter 1 of the manga.

Another thing I want to mention is about the names. Gah... I hate Japanese names because the way it's said means a lot about the relationship. Right now, I did not add any suffixes... and hopefully, this will play a part sooner or later. (How many of you were going to review about me not adding the suffixes? Lol!)

And yes, all questions shall be answered in the next chapter. And hopefully college does not take up most of my time.


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, I did NOT expect to take so long to finish this. Like I mentioned before, I wanted to make this short. But who would've thought it'd take me this long to finish these simple 2 chapters?

And yes, it's done. There's another chapter waiting for you once you're done with this and that's the end. Its' really short and simple as I've mentioned, I can only apologise for how long it took. I'm really, really sorry.

Anyway, enough of my ranting. Carry on and read! Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

When Syaoran had awoken, he was back in his room. He wondered how he had managed to return after last night's incident but no one had given him a straight answer. They merely said they found him alone. 

He knew it was a lie. He knew she was there yet everyone denied it.

For days, as he continued to train, he would look out for her by the training room. But she seemed to have disappeared for he could not see her anymore. Surely, he could be able to see someone with such… radiance.

Yes, he had a lot of questions to ask her. But he wanted to see her... Just to see her… One last time.

A week since the incident occurred, his mother then takes a moment to talk with him. "Syaoran, my Syaoran…" she said, looking straight at him, "Your future has been sealed and you have suffered deeply because of this fate. Tonight is the night when the wheels of fate shall turn towards the road full of pain and uncertainty." His mother's eyes began to tear and her voice shakes, "But I believe in you."

Syaoran stared at his mother. Never before had he seen his mother this emotional. She then takes him in a warm embrace and Syaoran closes his eyes and breathes deeply, taking in the scent of his mother whom he knew he will part with tonight.

Tonight… Is it too much to hope to see her one last time tonight?

-0-0-0-

As dusk settled, Syaoran meditated for a moment in the training room as he recalled the many spells he learnt throughout his training. He was restless. Despite the fact that he knew and had prepared himself for this moment, he could not help but feel anxious. Will everything turn out all right?

He then heard a sound… A bell? Ringing? He got up from his meditation and went straight towards the window to look at the playground…

And saw her…

Instantly he knew what to do. He then left his home, after taking a short glance at it and noticed his mother was watching over him, and went towards the playground to meet her.

She greeted him with a smile. "Syaoran… I've missed you."

"Where have you been?" he asked.

She looked at him, her eyes filled with many emotions. "I've been preparing myself."

"For what?"

"For tonight."

Syaoran hesitated. "Why?"

"Because the wheels of fate are turning."

Syaoran's eyes widened. "Who… are you?"

She smiled again. "I'm Sakura. I'm a dream seer, and I can see the future. For years, I've been having a dream… of beautiful wings being torn apart and its feathers scattered. Then I dreamt of faces, many faces… and I saw your face, Syaoran. I knew then you were special, from the very moment I met you."

Syaoran shook his head. "Why…?"

"I'm here to tell you more about your fate, though it may cost me my life. But who knows?" Her smile widened. "Despite the fact that our fates have been sealed, our future has yet to be really determined and I'm sure… a great future awaits us. Syaoran…" She held her hand out to him. "Our fate awaits us. Will you accept what has been chosen for you?"

Syaoran closed his eyes for a moment. So many emotions within him… So many. Yet he could not express them. He looked at Sakura, her hand still outstretched, and drawn towards her, he took her hand and said, "Yes."

Suddenly, pieces of Sakura's memories began to enter him and he had a glimpse of the future that awaited him. It flew by so fast that he barely had time to process what was truly going on, and when Sakura finally let go of his hand, his sight was blurred with tears.

"Syaoran…" Sakura called his name with worry. And when she realized that he could not answer her, she then went up to him and hugged him. "It's ok. Everything will be all right."

He was shocked. Again, the emotions… why? Why was he crying? And what were these feelings he feels when Sakura hugged him? _Ah… yes… I understand now, Mother. This is…_

"They're here." Syaoran looked at Sakura who was looking behind her and they saw them. The same army that attacked them last week.

Syaoran was ready to fight, but Sakura stopped him. "There's nothing we can do."

"But…"

"Save your energy. You'll need it for something more important."

Syaoran stared at Sakura in horror. "No… I can't let this happen…" He then magically pulled out his sword from his left palm.

"Syaoran, no!" Sakura cried, holding on to his arm.

"I understand now, these feelings and why I only felt them ever since I met you," he said, smiling at her. "Thank you."

Sakura began to cry. "Please… I don't want them to hurt you."

"They can't," he said, determinedly. "But I won't let them hurt you."

The army drew closer and Syaoran then went into his fight stance and lunged himself at them. As expected, they did nothing to even cause a scratch on him, but they deflected all of his attacks. He kept crying out to Sakura to run, but she didn't. She just continued to cry, looking like the small girl that she was.

Then he realized he couldn't move. He had fallen for their trap. A magic symbol appeared underneath his feet and he knew then that he was caught. He turned to look for Sakura and realized that the army was now closing in on her. But she looked at them with tears in her eyes and then she looked at him.

She smiled her last smile for him. "We will meet again… right?"

"SAKURA!" he called out to her but he was already being drawn into another dimension, and the last thing he saw was one of those strange men attacking Sakura…

And no more.

-0-0-0-

When Syaoran met Fei Wong Reed, he could tell that the man's intent was twisted. He knew that Fei Wong Reed had done terrible things, and that Syaoran was merely a pawn, nothing more, to this terrible dream of his.

So when he found out that he was going to make a clone with only one intention, and that was to gather all of the feathers, he knew that he couldn't let that happen. Memories of Sakura and his feelings for her filled him, and he knew how precious those feelings were. And that no one, not even a clone, should live without it.

So when Fei Wong Reed created the clone, Syaoran gathered all his strength, the one Sakura dearly told him to save, and gathered half of his heart into his left eye. He then 'plucked' it out and with whatever power he had left within him, reached out beyond the mirror where his clone was, and placed his 'heart' into the clone's right eye. When he was sure that the heart was secure, he let out a sigh of relief and allowed Fei Wong Reed's spell to take over him…

It is done.

* * *

Yes, there's a little more. So go on and check out the last chapter. C&C welcome. 


	4. Conclusion

Last chapter! It's short... I hope the ending isn't disappointing... Erk...

* * *

It was painful to watch a life you could not live, or at least, share with. Syaoran could merely watch as he looked through the eye of his clone. He could only watch as his clone witnessed many beautiful things, and also merely watch through that eye the princess who was also Sakura.

Sakura…

For a moment, when his clone first arrived in Clow country, Syaoran was worried. He showed no signs of emotions whatsoever and this worried him deeply. Surely at least part of his heart would help his clone learn to feel emotions.

But when the clone met Sakura, it was then that the clone began to show more emotions and this made Syaoran happy. _Ah, so no matter which world you're in, you will always have this impact on me, huh, Sakura?_

How much he wanted to share his feelings with his clone. To laugh with his clone and Sakura, to help his clone help Sakura when she was in trouble… He wanted all of these so badly. But no, this was the price that he had to pay. The wheels of fate have turned and will continue to turn.

Someday, he knows he will be able to be with them. But the wheels of fate are turning… and though the future, at first, may look bleak… There is always hope.

Surely, everything will be all right.

* * *

Yes, that's it. I hope you're not angry because the last chapter was too short but I wanted to make this a conclusion. Anyway, this is merely my take of what happened with Real Syaoran... I'm sure CLAMP has something more awesome about Real Syaoran's past waiting for us, but in the meantime, I'm sorta sticking to this. Lol! I hope you enjoyed it though. Again, C&C welcome and yes, criticism too, but please be constructive about it. Thank you for all of your support! 


End file.
